Improvement in buckles for clothing



E. B. SCHNABEL.-

Buck-les for Clothing.

No.l52,423. Patented1une2s,1a74.

jai/zwick- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLIS E. scENABEL, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUCKLES FOR `CLOTHING.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 152,423, dated J' une 23, 1874; application filed April l1, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ELLIS B. SGHNABEL, of the city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles, adapted for use on clothing for men, women, and children, and for other purposes and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, and of their mode or manner of attachment and operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, and making a part of this specification.

Buckles as heretofore generally constructed,

when used upon garments, have required to be secured or permanently fastened thereto, which has usually been effected by looping one strap or tag, or one end of the strap or tag, over and around the back end bar of the buckle, and then sewing` or riveting together such looped portion or end of the strap or tag, thus not only demanding both time and labor to connect the buckle to the stra-p or tag, but also rendering the removal of the buckle from the strap a waste of time and labor, when such removal is desirable or necessary when garments are to be washed. My improvements remedy or remove these objections, and also secure other desirable results.

My improved buckle has an outside frame, A A', a tongue-bar, B, with tongues b I), substantially as ordinary buckles, but has also, besides such usual parts, an additional or supplemental bar, C, which may be called, from its action, a carrying or fastening` bar.77 It is a carrying or fastening' bar, because it carries the strap or' tag, and renders the buckle detachable and self-fastening. The carrying` or fastening bar G is located, as seen in Fig'. 2, immediately under or beneath the tonguebar B. It is permanently attached to the tongue-bar, and is struck out of the same piece of sheet metal. It is then bent down and turned under the tongue-bar, leaving sufficient space between it and the tonguebar to pass the strap or tag between them in order to secure the strap or tag upon the tongues. Fig. 3 shows the carrying or fastening bar G when bent down and turned under the tongue-bar. Fig. 4 shows another mode of securing or adjusting the carrying self-fastening bar C. The frame of the buckle is provided with holes E E. The carrying-bar C, having been struck out of a separate piece of metal, is placed under the frame of the buckle immediately beneath and under the tongue-bar. The ends of bar C are then bent upward, and passed through the holes E E in the frame. The ends of bar C are provided with holes to receive the ends of the tongue-bar, thus forming therewith a hinge. rIhe space between the bars B and C receives the strap or tag as it passes forward to be fastened upon the tongues, as before described. Fig. 5 shows a side view of the frame A, with the end of the carrying-bar C beneath the frame. Fig. 6 shows a longitudinal view of the carrying-bar C, with its ends bent up and passed through the holes in the frame, and connected with the ends of the tongue-bar, forming the hinge. Fig. 7 shows another mode of securing the carrying or fastening bar G. In this form the bar C is permanently attached to the frame of the buckle, being struck at the same time out of the same piece of sheet metal, and is located, as in Figs. l and 4, inimediately under the tongue-bar B, with the usual space between to pass the strap or tag. In this form the ears a a are struck out of the bar C, and bent upward at right angles to the frame, and provided with holes to receive the ends of the tongue-bar, thus forming the hinge. Fig. 8 shows an end view of the carrying or fastening bar C, as described in Fig. 7.

This arrangement and use of the carrying or fastening bar C enables the fixed end, or one end of the strap or tag, to be easily and quickly attached to the buckle without the necessity of sewing or riveting, or any xed manner of connection, and in such a manner that the strap or tag will be as securely connected with the buckle as if sewed or riveted, and will be prevented from being detached therefrom, except when desired, when it can be removed by any intelligent person.

The manner of attaching and securing the fixed end of the strap or tag to the buckle is as follows: The end of the strap or tag is passed under the back end bar A ofthe buckle, and then (in the Figs. l, 4, and 7) passed bctween the carrying or fastening bar C and thc ton gue-bar B--thatis,over the carrying-bar and under thetongue-ba-r-and the tongues bb then inserted in the strap or tag close to its end. The strap or tag is then drawn back, so as to bring its end to the base of the tongues, or against the tongue-bar B, when its fastening to the buckle is complete.

By these applications and uses of the supplemental or fastening bar C, and the method described of fastening the strap or tag to the buckle, any strain upon the strap or tag, even it' it be no more than the weight ofthe buckle itself', tends continually to maintain and keep close and tight the connection between the buckle and the strap or tag, and renders such connection as complete and perfect practically as if the strap or tag were actually scwed or riveted to the buckle. Such method of connection also renders it easy, and saves both time and labor, when it is desired to remove the buckle in order to wash the garments, or attach the buckles to other garments.

This convenient mode. of removing buckles also facilitates, when removed, easier and better washing, wringing, and ironing; besides, the buckle is no longer an obstacle in the way of the persons performing this indispensable labor. Besides, the wringers now in general use are permanently injured by forcing under the front bar of the buckle. The tonguesI are then inserted, and the loose end tucked under the back end bar A of the buckle. This mode of fastening allows the buckle in use to furnish its own loop or tuck bar A.

I claim- A buckle with frame A A', tongue-bar B, with tongues b b, and the supplemental carrying and fastening bar C, all constructed as described, and operating as and for the uses and purposes set forth.

ELLlS B. SCHNABEL'. 

